as in drool
the fluid that is secreted into the mouth by certain glands our mouths filled with saliva when we smelled the delicious dinner

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of saliva Rodents pass the virus through their droppings, urine and saliva. Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2025 The team found that saliva samples taken from people with a high AMY1 copy number contained more bacteria such as Streptococcus that feed off the sugar in starch. David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Feb. 2025 The work was based on data from more than 490,000 people, all of whom are registered with the UK Biobank, a massive collection of participants' detailed medical histories including gene sequencing; MRIs; blood, urine, and saliva samples; family health stories; and more. Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025 Hantavirus is transmitted to humans via rodent urine, saliva and droppings. Ingrid Vasquez, People.com, 11 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for saliva
Recent Examples of Synonyms for saliva
Noun
  • Sam apologized awkwardly, trying covertly to swipe beneath her chin, checking for drool and feeling like the world’s schlubiest schlub for struggling to tear her eyes from this stranger when the love of her life had dumped her an hour earlier.
    Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 12 Feb. 2025
  • Over time, drool evolved in the 19th century as a more specific term for saliva spilling or dripping from the mouth.
    Erik Kain, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The report, with the alliterative plosives of its title raining down like flecks of spit, was an opening volley in the fight to rouse sleepy bureaucrats and put them on notice.
    Charlie Tyson, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2025
  • He was outfitted with a spit screen to prevent him from spitting on others.
    Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 12 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The mayor nodded and smiled, but also flinched, as though struck by spittle.
    E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2024
  • Filling the air with spittle as plentiful as the Allied bombs raining down along the English Channel.
    John Anderson, WSJ, 31 Oct. 2023

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Cite this Entry

“Saliva.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/saliva. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.

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